Northern Ireland’s First Minister signals growing push for celtic unity and independence

Amelia Jones

Northern Ireland’s First Minister, Michelle O’Neill, has called for greater unity among Celtic nations, as she suggested that political momentum is building towards a shared push for independence across Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Michelle O’Neill is an Irish politician who has been First Minister of Northern Ireland since February 2024 and Vice President of Sinn Féin since 2018

Speaking at the Sinn Féin Ard Fheis – the annual Irish party conference – O’Neill delivered a strongly worded critique of Westminster, arguing that successive UK governments have consistently failed communities across the nations.

She added that the union of the United Kingdom is “cracking at the seams,” after accusing Westminster of repeatedly failing Northern Ireland.

She said: “Whether it’s Johnson, Truss, Sunak, Starmer or even, God forbid, Farage.

One constant has and will always remain: their contempt and their complete disregard for the people and communities here.”

O’Neill pointed to key issues including austerity, the cost-of-living crisis and Brexit as evidence of what she described as systemic neglect. She also accused the UK government of prioritising “weapons of war over people,” while insisting that citizens in Northern Ireland “are not second class.”

However, her speech went beyond criticism, instead highlighting what she described as a historic political moment.

Referencing upcoming elections in Scotland and Wales, O’Neill suggested that, for the first time, there could be “three nationalist, pro-independent and pro-self-determination First Ministers” across the devolved nations. She framed this as a sign of a wider shift in public sentiment.

She added: “The people in Ireland, in Scotland and in Wales, now more than ever, are asserting their desire for independence.”

In a gesture of cross-national solidarity, she extended support to Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru ahead of their respective elections.

You can watch a clip from her speech here.